20 Peruvian Ceramic Clay 17 mm EVIL EYE TUBE BEADS, J09

These 20 high-quality ceramic beads were hand-crafted and hand-painted by expert Peruvian crafts people. The clay was shaped and fired, painted and glazed, then fired a second time for a true ceramic hardness. They feature an eye as protection against the evil eye, the belief that some people can do harm simply by looking at one. The belief is not indigenous to Peru, but comes Turkey and Greece.

As with all Peruvian ceramics, the painting is done with mineral-based pigments, not artificial dyes. In this case, it is cobalt that produces the deep, royal blue color. Cobalt is said to stimulate the use of the "third eye" and to be generally protective, and its use here thus augments the effect of the eye image in warding off the evil eye.

Because they are handmade, there are slight variations in the sizes of the beads and sizes and positions of the holes. They are about 17 mm tall and 8 mm in diameter, with 3 mm holes.